So Long, No Thanks For All The Fish
by Zarius
Summary: (Fred Wolf Cartoon): The Turtles travel to Texas to answer the pleas of a young boy whose father has vanished...only to find themselves in the midst of a land dispute, old enemies, and fearsome fish from beyond the depths of Dimension X!
1. Chapter 1

**TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES:  
SO LONG, NO THANKS FOR ALL THE FISH**

**WRITTEN BY ZARIUS**

**DISCLAIMER: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shredder and April are properties of Nickelodeon, and all characters from the 1980s Fred Wolf Cartoon are properties of Fred Wolf. Only original characters and locations such as the McGruders, Sweetsinker Town, Theo Christ, and others, are mine**

**Note: This story takes place after the events of "Turtles Forever" in continuity. -Zarius  
**

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

Deep within the recesses of their lair beneath the streets of New York. The band of brothers known only as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were pondering a problem brought upon them by one of their own. Someone facing a most daunting prospect. "I'm being totally straight with you bro" Michelangelo said with a hint of apprehension , "it's THIS size" he continued, forming a small circle with the tips of his fingers.

"That's impossible" his brother Leonardo replied. "I could run a few tests on it" Donatello suggested, "Don't you DARE" Leonardo said, cutting him off.

"You're lucky she's interested in something that small. Most women I know can't go a month without large quantities" Raphael added with his usual brand of cynical wit. "If only she'd ASK me" Michelangelo continued, "I could take precautions…prep myself up for the intake"

"But you know the first place to look for….THOSE particular methods" Donatello added.

"I'm totally street dude" Michelangelo insisted, "You'd be surprised at what I know about those places"

"But if she INSISTS on the size, why would you want to dissapoint her?" Leonardo probed

A door opened, and in walked the Turtles sensei, Master Splinter. "Is something the matter my students" Splinter asked, sensing the discord.

Raphael swiftly elbowed Michelangelo. "Why don't you stick it out shortman?" he said

"What is the matter Michelangelo?" Splinter asked of his student. Michelangelo rocked back and forth apprehensively, before finally revealing all to his master. "This" he said, producing a small slice of Pizza from his shell.

"Pizza?" Splinter asked in befuddlement.

"Michelangelo's a little down because his usual size of pizzas have been cut down by the local pizzeria" Donatello explained, "Something to do with "National Dieting Week". April wanted to try it as part of a story on how good it is to eat less"

"We usually have a dinner date with April once every week. We take turns" Leonardo added, "Mikey drew the short straw this time"

"In MORE ways than one" Raphael joked.

"I just don't think it's big enough for me and April to share" Michelangelo said, still awash with concern, "She might get a little funny about it"

"Worry not my student" Splinter advised, "In April's case, the size of your heart outweighs any morsel. I am sure she will understand that you had the best of intentions"

Michelangelo felt a little better about his situation, but just a little.

"Yeah…" he said, "But I'd rather go for the best appetite. This thing isn't going to last a night or fill a stomach"

"Speaking of April, we better check out her news bulletin" Donatello suggested. "She's covering the wedding of Michael Christ in the west of Texas"

"Woah, wait a minute" Raphael said, cutting Donatello off, "Michael Christ…the son of that overbearingly rich cat THEO Christ?"

"Great, there's bound to be large chunks of free dinner at the reception" Michelangelo added, giving off a sigh of relief as he now believed his situation had been given a reprieve. "Hopefully she has a change of heart with me in mind and snags a few platefuls for herself"

"Switch the TV on Donatello" Leonardo ordered.

Donatello complied, and with the touch of a dial, the television situated in the centre of the room flared into life. After a few moments of channel hopping, Donatello found the one that served as the home of "Happy Hour News". Channel 6. "There we go" Donatello said. The four brothers and Splinter huddled around the sofa as the familiar and charmingly alluring features of their reporter friend April O'Neil graced the television screen, standing inside a small, but bustling western town with a lively crowd behind her.

"This is April O'Neil. I'm here live from the town of Sweetsinker in the heart of West Texas where the union of Michael Christ and Lorraine Whitney is in it's penultimate day of preparation. All that's required is the arrival of the preacher tomorrow afternoon…however, I'm told that's not all we're here to celebrate. I'm joined now by Michaels father, financial bigwig and property developer Theo Christ, who I understand has just signed an exclusive contract with an anonymous property developer to construct a new attraction for the area. Theo, take it away"

"Thankyou Ms O'Neil" the pudgy Texas tycoon responded, his large cigarette pumping out a teeming mass of smoke, causing April to gag as she took it in.

"Yes, the rumor you lot out there in property county have proven to be gospel" he continued, "I can officially announce that this area of Texas is going to see sights unprecedented in the region. We are going to witness the construction of our first Aquari-ranch"

"An Aquari-ranch?" April inquired.

"The finest fish you have never seen" Theo teased. "Transported into a brand spanking new housing facility which will attract keen lovers of sea-life everywhere to an otherwise dry and previously unattractive landscape. There's plenty of opportunity to sleep with the fishes too, as there will be a specially accommodated premiere inn to go with the ranch"

"And where will this Aquri-ranch be located?" April asked.

"The site is currently top secret" Theo revealed "It will be disclosed to the public soon enough. I have top men stationed there"

"And can any of THEM tell me where my Pa is?" came a small voice from behind both April and Theo turned around to find a pint-sized young boy in blue overalls glaring coldly in Theo's direction. The assembled crowd began to stir with commotion.

"Now Toby, we've been this…" Theo arrogantly spoke.

"What's the matter kid?" April calmly asked, sensing the boy was visibly upset.

"My pa. He went missing over a week ago" the boy, Toby, explained, "He found out what they were doing down there. He found the site…but he never came back home"

He marched up to Theo and pointed at him

"What did you do with him?" Toby asked. Theo laughed off the accusation

"You'll have to excuse the young pup Mss O'Neil" he said, "He's got quite the active imagination"

April's cameraman, Vernon, was running as low on patience as Toby was.

"April, tell this snot nosed brat to get out of shot, he's ruining the interview" he said. April, annoyed, put him in his place

"Quiet Vernon"

She kneeled down and put both hands on Toby's shoulders. She could tell from the boy's features he was on the verge of letting all his pent up emotion come out.

"Keep calm kid, I'm sure someone out there watching can help you, just reach out to them" she said. Toby nodded. April smiled and gave him her microphone. Toby understood the gesture and made the most of his opportunity.

"Please" he began, "If anyone knows where my pa is or wants to help find him, inquire at McGruder ranch just west of this town. YOU GOTTA HELP ME FIND 'EM...inquire at the McGruder ranch just south of this town, just be sure to turn left when you reach it"

April patted the young boy on the head and took back her microphone.

"And with that impassioned plea, this is April O'Neil signing off for now. Join us tomorrow when we'll be covering Micheal Christ's wedding, and hopefully by then the mystery of the Aquri-ranch, wherever it is, will be solved. See you then"

As April's interview wrapped, Leonardo turned off the television.

"You heard April guys. She figured we'd be listening in to that, we've gotta help that kid" he said with eagerness. The remaining Turtles nodded in agreement.

"Awesome notion bud. I'm totally gonna scoop out those cowpies" Michelangelo commented, rubbing his stomach

"Turtles go Texan, and an Aquarium waiting for us. It's like the holiday brochures finally managed tpo squeeze us into their packages" Raphael mused

Leonardo headed towards the exit tunnel. "To the Turtle Blimp guys" he commanded.

"Great" Raphael said, "I was always wondering just where it is in this overbearingly small sewer you ever manage to PARK THAT THING"

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Elsewhere, in a darkened room full of computerized noises, a faint hum of engines and a rumble could be heard. The rumble was matched with strained grunting, as a man, mid-forties, struggled to free himself from the ropes his body had been bound with.

"Gosh darn it" he said, "These ropes are too tight, I can't break free…"

His efforts were soon interrupted with the gurgling taunts coming from a high-pitched voice

"Comfortable are we my friend?" the voice crackled.

"I'll gnaw if this knot if I have to. You won't hold me for long, whatever you are" the man replied in defiance.

"I'd advise against it" the voice warned, "Not if you want your ranch to survive the coming storm"

"Go pester somebody else with your mellow metaphors. I'd call them "melodramatic" but you ain't a very theatrical character." the man quipped, content to insult his captor.

"Oh I mean it VERY literally" the ominous character replied, and walked into full view. The man gasped at the sight.

The figure marched past him towards a nearby control console and began playing with the various dials and buttons present on the panels. Before long, the monitor screen attached to the console flickered and flared into life. Another figure, a man whose features were visibly hidden by a metal mask, appeared on the screen. The figure set about giving the masked man a set of instructions.

"Shredder, this is Krang" spoke the gurgling voice. "Launch Wave "Tranquil Repose" from The Technodrome IMMEDIATELY"

"I don't know about this Krang" Shredder replied, "does it mean I get first dibs on the bull rides when it's done?"

Krang wasn't taken in by Shredder's brand of wit

"Don't be coy with me you bucket-brain. We're on a slow enough schedule…we're almost like Turtles" Krang responded. The comparison was enough to motivate his partner. "Ugh. Ok…but only because you compared me to the "T" word" Shredder responded.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

Several hours later, high above the land that housed Sweetsinker town, the Turtle Blimp cut through the sky with all four Turtles on board. "There's the town right below us dude" Michelangelo noted, pointing to the large stack of buildings below.

"Then, when we're not too far from the ranch, head south and turn left guys" instructed Donatello. "Or, you know, we could just pitch down, I'm sure they'll welcome us with open arms and full plates" Michelangelo commented. Leonardo sighed.

"Remember Michelangelo, think less on food, and more on the mission" he said. Leonardo's Turtle-com suddenly went off, he removed it from his belt buckle and activated it. The familiar face of April materialized on it. "Leonardo here, hi April" the Turtles leader spoke, greeting his friend.

"Howdy fellas, I take it you saw that young boy's message on my bulletin earlier?" she inquired. Leonardo nodded. "We're trying to pinpoint the McGruder ranch right now. Once we get acquainted with the family, we'll start the investigation" Leonardo explained

"Great, I'll catch up with you later" she said. Just before she signed off, she opted to take a small dig at one of the four.

"I hope you're not feeling too peckish Michelangelo" she teased. Michelangelo's face lit up and he buried his head in his right hand, his left holding his stomach as it rumbled. "She hates me" he said "She means to torture me" he said. April laughed.

"See you later April" Leonardo said, and turned off the Turtle-Com to spare Michelangelo further embarrassment, and April any more fresh opportunities to rib him.

Eventually, the Turtles finally located the ranch. Upon landing the blimp, they made their way over to the front door of the McGruder homestead. Leonardo gathered his brother together.

"Ok guys, we're here. Be polite, be calm, and above all else, don't make a scene" Leonardo instructed. His brothers all nodded in agreement. Leonardo smiled, turned around, and knocked on the door. The Turtles were soon greeted by a short, but plump fair haired woman.

"Howdy ma'am" Leonardo said, putting on a bad Texan accent, looking to make a good impression. The woman took one look at the group's faces and took a step back

"Oh my" she said. Leonardo, however, was seemingly oblivious to her startled reaction. "We're here to see your son" he continued. The woman turned her back, put both hands to her mouths, and cried out. "Tony, son, get the shotgun, we got more Martians"

"Great fearless leader" Raphael remarked, "First you mess up the language of the land, now the locals are acting like we just stepped out of a Michael Bay press conference"

"Ma'am calm down, we're not your enemies" Leonardo insisted, "And what do you mean by MORE Martians?".

"Are you for real" the agitated woman asked. "Hello? Earth-to-Earth-gal, this happens to be a CARTOON" Raphael replied

"No need to _get_ real Raph" Donatello remarked.

Before long, Toby arrived on the scene. Upon seeing the Turtles, he stopped dead in his tracks. The Turtles prepared for the worst, only to be surprised by the boy's sudden excitability. "WOW, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? MOM, these aren't't Martians, there the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"he bellowed ecstatically. He went up to all four of them and shook their hands. "You've heard of us?" Leonardo asked.

"You're only on the news every single minute." Toby explained "Plus I'm part of that fan club started by your fifth member. We've gotten pretty big since the advent of the internet". "Hey, Zach's really taking the term "networking" to a whole new level" Donatello commented.

"Well at least we don't have to explain ourselves this time around" Leonardo said, relieved.

"So you guys are gonna help me find my dad? That's gotta be why you're here isn't it?" Toby asked, punching the air with ecstatic jubilation. "As song as you help me find something to eat" Michelangelo replied

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Back at Krang's stronghold, hidden away in another part of the landscape, the wicked warlord was overseeing the second phase of his operation

"The inter-weathoral nexus generator is at full capacity" he revealed to Shredder, "It shouldn't't be long now before the project is complete"

"I still don't see why you decided on a solo outing. Rocksteady, Bebop and myself could have backed you up" Shredder advised.

"You and your mutant meatheads have fowled up one operation too many. Besides, I get the distinct impression you're looking for a vacation" Krang replied. "If I were there you wouldn't't have had to deal with interlopers…you couldn't't even keep a rancher out of the sinkhole" Shredder countered.

Krang was irked by this reminder, but he didn't't let his mistake phase him. "Worry not. Unlike you, I tend to tie all my ends up in a knot…and then some" he said. "Unhand me ya cerebral psychotic!" yelled Krang's prisoner, leaning back and forth hoping, praying, somehow to shake his bounds loose. Krang opted not to indulge his prisoner, choosing to bury himself in his work at the control console.

"And what if even the Turtles catch wind of this? That meddler's kid put out a convincing performance on the Channel 6 news" a concerned Shredder responded. "Even if those amphibian arsonists DO ruffle our feathers, I guarantee you their own will be plucked in no short order" Krang assured him, "Trust me Shredder, this time I have a weapon the Turtles have no defence against"


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

After a small, but satisfying, lunch at the McGruder home, the four Turtles had set off to comb the area. The young lad joined them as their guide.

"So how did your dad up and disappear anyway?" Leonardo asked the boy.

"After Theo Christ announced plans for that big Aquari-ranch, my dad got suspicious, only his land is wide enough, and our town the closest enough, for anything of that size to be constructed and guarantee a healthy tourist rate." Toby explained. "He and Christ have waged war over that land for years, so he didn't trust him at all. He got to investagatin'.. He would come back home sometimes with stories of alien spaceships and a weird tall muscular guy in a ten-gallon hat with bandages all over his stomach giving out orders to some ninjas clad in purple uniforms. Eventually, he stopped coming home altogether."

"And suddenly there's that old familiar sting…" Raphael remarked upon hearing of Toby's descriptions.. "That sounds a lot like Krang, and an awful lot like The Foot"

"But why is Krang all bandaged up?" Michelangelo asked "He didn't fall off his perch and break every bit of his face did he?"

"Who cares what his reasons are, he's obviously behind Toby's dad's disappearance. He probably got too close to what Krang was up to and was kidnapped"

"We'll need a plan if we're going to stage a rescue attempt" Donatello pointed out. Michelangelo pondered this for a second

"Whatever plan we come up with, it should be simple straightforward, and lead right up to dinner time….Beat, then eat" he replied.

Leonardo soon stopped everyone in their tracks. "Guys, do you hear something passing overhead?" he said. "I'm pretty sure it was the point going over Mike's head" Raphael joked.

"I meant from up THERE" Leonardo said, pointing at the sky. The Turtles stared upwards, keeping their eyes and ears open for a reoccurring noise, and if the noise had form. Eventually, they began to make something out in the distance, something that was gradually coming into view. A sleek long shaft of metal with a large drill attached to the front, rocketing towards them.

"It looks like…like a transport module" Donatello spoke in recognition.

"A FLYING module? When did tin face and bald brain upgrade to THAT" Michelangelo asked in alarm

"Well we'd better downgrade fast, as in GET DOWN" a panicked Raphael instructed as small cannons on the sides of the module unleashed disruptor fire, striking the dry soil in a trail of lazer bullet, leaving a faint yet harsh sizzle with every blast.

"Toby, take cover" Leonardo cried.

"But I wanna help" Toby insisted, "I could totally be the next honorary Turtle"

"I wish you REGULAR TEENAGE HUMAN BEINGS would look up the definition of TURTLE in the dictionary" Raphael said.

Leonardo ducked another round of lazer fire, and spotted an opportunity to take control of the situation.

"Turtles, this could be our ticket" he said. "Too bad it isn't golden, I wouldn't mind some chocolate" Raphael said as he was chased by the craft and it's deadly cannons.

"I meant our ticket to locating Krang" Leonardo clarified, "If we can just commandeer that module"

"First we've got to bring it down" Donatello said.

"That's an easy one" Leonardo said, beaming with confidence, and turned to Raphael and Michelangelo. "You two more than qualify for this"

"Us?" Raphael asked, pointing at himself and his brother.

"Yeah dude, like…what can we do better than any other volunteer?" Michelangelo added

"You're the only ones who can make spectacles of yourselves" Leonardo revealed, and whispered a set of instructions to his brothers.

As the module turned in mid-air, ready to commence firing again. Raphael and Michelangelo put Leonardo's plan into action. They began to dance around foolishly, sticking their tongues out and making faces at their aerial adversary.

"Hey, Foot Odour, your mom can't even hit me from that height, why don't ya come a little closer" Raphael heckled.

"Too right dude, like, come down to Earth, 'cuz only girls hit from Venus… Michelangelo said, joining in on the catty taunting. The module roared into life and lowered itself in flight, etching closer and closer to the two. "You're not even cutting it close. LOWER, or are ya too chicken?" Raphael challenged.

"Worse yet, your pilots are robots, that makes you a MICROWAVED CHICKEN" Michelangelo teased. Soon enough, the module reached a level low enough to implement the next phase of the plan, The strategy had worked.

"NOW LEONARDO" Raphael yelled. Behind the module, Leonardo aimed his katana at the module's thrusters. He dared not risk plunging his sword directly, or he would be fried. He had to time his trajectory just right.

Confident of his skill, and with one swift throw, the blade was jolted into the back of the module, causing it to spasm out of control, flying erratically through the air and back down again, ultimately hitting the ground with a gigantic thud. As the thrusters sparked and spluttered, unable to find traction to levitate the ship, the module finally died. The Turtles waited outside the hatch, hovering over it like hungry, eager predators. The hatch eventually opened and out emerged a lone Foot Solider, one of a legion of robotic killers loyal only to Shredder.

Leonardo wasted no time in dealing with it. With another swift slash from his remaining blade, he severed the Foot Soldier's head. As Leonardo walked over to the back of the module to remove the other Katana from the malfunctioning thrusters, Toby was quick to make comment on his skills

"That was some fancy throwing mister" he said. Raphael, however, wasn't all that impressed. "Are you kidding?" he said, laughing, "I could totally shift my body in mid-air, let my shell take all the burning and dig my _sais _into that sucker"

"Keep it REAL Raph" Leonardo reminded him. "In our line of work?" Raph replied.

"The important thing is we have the module" Donatello said, "Once I get it back in shape, all we'd need do after that is use it to reach Krang". Leonardo turned to Toby, "You'd better get back home son, your mom wouldn't like you risking your neck where we're going" he said.

"This is my dad we're talking about" Toby said defiantly, "I'd follow him to heck and back, I'm coming with you. You'll look after me the same way you looked after Zach".

"Well, if we're ALL in agreement" Leonardo said, looking at the other Turtles, who silently gave their approval with a-ok signs and wry winks.

"Alright" Toby yelled, "Let's saddle up this mechanical bull"

After an hour or so, thanks in no small part to Donatello's handy knowledge of machines, the Turtles were ready to resume their journey. All four of them, plus Toby, clambered into the module. Donatello inspected the controls. He was happy to find some kind of radar that, when activated, pinpointed the home base to be just north of them.

With a flick of a switch, the engines ignited, the module took off, taking the Turtles to Krang, to Toby's father, and, they hoped, some answers.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Inside Krang's compound, the warlord watched on as several of his transport modules commenced drilling, delving deep into the ground "Tranquil Repose is underway" he proudly proclaimed, "Once the modules have reached the desired subterranean level we can let their cargo go without fear of drying out"

Krang's captive was all together too eager to interrupt the moment with some bad comedy. "What's in that bag? Shark or something?" he said. Krang allowed himself to be amused by this.

"Your knowledge of questionable Nick Cage career choices amuses me, but ultimately it is another futile attempt at making conversation on your part. You serve a very simple purpose, and we have nothing to discuss" Krang replied. The two were then swiftly interrupted by Shredder on the monitor, who had his own bit of news to relay to his partner

"Krang" he said. "When combing the area, a foot solider scout acquired visual confirmation that the Turtles have arrived in the area. He went in to intercept and destroy them, but we haven't heard from him since. I WARNED you Krang" he rasped. Krang was, again, not phased by this development.

"As I continue to tell you, the Turtles cannot stop us this time. If they find us, I have my trump card to play"

"Your hostage you mean?" Shredder deduced. Krang shook his head. "Not even close" he replied. Cutting Shredder off, he proceeded to put the final phase of his project through it's paces. Tranquil Repose was nearing completion.

"Launch the interweatherol nexus now" Krang commanded. There was a fierce thunderclap, and before long powerful lighting storms began descending from the heavens. A heavy dosage of rain soon followed.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**-

It wasn't long before the Turtles' transport module flew directly into the path of the storms, prompting Donatello to steer the craft left to right, up and down, to avoid the streams of lighting. His efforts to avoid being hit were not appreciated by some.

"Watch how you drive, you're making me wanna hurl in my shell" Raphael yelled, trying not to give in his queasy impulses. "I can't help it Raph, it's these appalling weather conditions" Donatello replied.

"I don't get it, the forecasts didn't say anything about this on the news" Toby added. Leonardo was quick to suspect fowl play involved.

"I've got a sneaking suspicion Krang's behind this…Don, can you pinpoint where Krang is despite everything going on outside?" he asked. "The guidance systems are going haywire in this weather, but I'll try" Donatello said, "I'm going to try and climb out of this storm, hang on to your shells".

"They're attached to our backs, of course we're gonna hang onto 'em!" Raphael added. "I'm checking the module's radar, the storms are encircling an area just below us" Donatello relayed to the team. "There seems to be a device pulsating a type of energy field around the area, it has to be one of Krang's weather devices."

"Move in closer and open the hatch" Leonardo ordered. Donatello was taken aback. "Are you crazy?" Donatello snapped, "The winds are at a high velocity, you'll be swept out of the module in an instant"

"Not if I have something firm to hold on to" Leonardo explained, "…I'll use one of our patented Turtle suction cups"

"Only $2:99 from reckless endeavours inc kids" Raphael responded.

"Alright Leo, but be careful" Donatello cautioned

Against his pilot instincts, Donatello took the Module down into the blackened mists that encircled the air around them. As they approached the source of the energy pulse, Donatello opened the hatch, allowing Leonardo to exit the craft. The storms were becoming much more erratic, lightning was coming down on all corners, and the downpour of rain intensified.

"Steady as she goes" Donatello said.

"We should've taken the blimp" Raph said.

"No way Raph, if we went into this kind of weather unprotected, we would be swept away. Like it or not, the module protects us" Donatello explained in defence of their ship.

"Protects us for how long though?" Raphael argued "You're practically inviting the storm in by keeping the door open for Leo"

"You have a point" Donatello said, and activated his Turtle-Com, contacting Leonardo on the outside

"Leo, hurry up and take out that weather device" Donatello instructed. Leonardo nodded in compliance. The module suddenly buckled, and began moving away from the intended target, Donatello tried to regain control, but seemed unable to. "What's happening" Michelangelo yelled.

"Oh no" an alarmed Donatello said, "We're caught in some kind of tractor beam, the controls are locked"

"Get Leonardo back in here" Raphael uttered. Donatello agreed and again turned to his Turtle-Com

"Leo, get back in here, we're being pulled away from the device" Donatello relayed, but Leonardo was unwilling to give up the chase.

"I'm almost there" he said from atop the module, catching sight of a small black and grey orb stationed in the center of the mists in front of them. "I'm gonna make a jump for it" he said. "But this wind will send ya way past sender" an anxious Donatello replied

"There's a large bed of water below me, I'll be fine if I can hit it" Leonardo said. "We're going down Leo, don't be a fool" Donatello pleaded. Leonardo's focus, however, was completely fixated on the mission.

"On three" he said, "…1...2..."

Donatello screamed Leonardo's name into the Turtle-Com as it went blank on Leonardo's end. "I've gotta get out there" Donatello said, heading for the hatch. Raphael seized the opportunity and pressed the switch on the controls that closed it

"Forget it Don, he's gone" Raphael said. "These winds are too intense for all of us to handle"

"He'll be tossed and twisted around like a…like a paper bag" Donatello said, visibly upset.

"It was all for nothing too, I can vaguely make out the cause of all this happening dudes…it's still there" Michelangelo said, watching the probe continue to generate the wild weather. The Turtles were resigned to their fate as the module continued to be taken on it's magical mystery tour. Tobny began to sulk, the weight of what had just happened truly inking in for him.

"I'm sorry you lost Leonardo because of me" he said apologetically.

Raphael gave him a reassuring glance. "Just doing our job kid" he said, "Sorry if it's been a crummy one so far". Donatello sat back down at the controls and checked the module's scanners. "Check this out guys" he said

Raphael looked at the monitors. "There's nothing there" he said. "Look closer" Donatello said

Sure enough, as they came closer and closer to ground zero, they noticed something shimmer and flicker into view…something that had previously been invisible to them. "Something seems to be decloaking"

"Like on Star Trek?" Toby asked, his nerdom on proud display. "Cling on to something" Raphael replied.

"Oh good one Raph" Michelangelo said, getting the joke

"I WASN'T joking. We're starting to really buckle again. Hang on" Raphael said, as the tractor beam began to well and truly reel the module in. As they approached the source, a large, grey metallic compound, Donatello began to recognize it

"It looks like…it IS, it's one of those mobile fortresses Krang had back when we fought him in that hidden prehistoric world. It also looks like the entire grid has been sealed away by a cloaking device"

Before the astounded group, the door at the centre of the fortress began to open. "We're going in" Raphael said.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The inside of the fortress was quite compact, with the one floor serving as control room and docking bay all at once. Krang was on hand to witness the modules arrival. "Welcome back my foot soldier" Krang cackled, "I trust you were able to deal with those meddling reptiles?"

The hatch of the craft opened, and the Turtles all poured out, ready for action. "You seriously need to place your trust in your local police more than your footlings Krang…that's the only force out there that'll do you justice" Donatello proclaimed.

"Only YOU could make a compliment sound like an insult Don" Raphael remarked.

"Well Leo usually handles the dynamic speeches Raph, I have to compensate" Donatello admitted. "So let ME do it" Raphael argued.

"All arguments aside bug brain, your goose is cooked…" Michelangelo spoke, then paused and pondered what he'd said. "_boy I need to stop thinking so big on food__"_he thought.

"THE TURTLES" Krang exclaimed, before counting how many stood in front of him "…Wait…only three of you? What's the matter? Did my interweathoral nexus sweep your leader off his feet?" he taunted, before letting out a high-pitched squeal that was meant to represent uncontrollable laughter. His amusement incensed the Turtles. "You'll regret that weather device on Krang" Donatello vowed

"Yeah and for turning Leo off" Raphael added.

"See this is why we DON'T leave these sort of things to you" Donatello responded.

Watching the stand-off was Krang's prisoner. As soon he glanced over at a certain young boy stepping out of the module to see what was going on, his eyes lit up. "Toby" he yelled in recognition. Toby turned around and, to his delight, was able to swiftly identify the prisoner.

"Dad" he said. "Turtles, over here".

Raphael ran over to the man, still bound by the tight ropes. Raphael trusted his sais into the back, cutting away the bonds. Now freed, the man embraced his son. Raphael felt his heart warm at the sight of father and son reunited. "Aww, I love me a good family reunion" he said, before putting his sais together and taking up a fighting stance, "But taking out turkeys is just as heart warming. TURTLE POWER!"

Krang was quick to summon back-up, as he reached over to his console and activated a com-link, summoning a small army of Foot Soldiers. "Attack" Krang yelled.

The battle was soon joined as the Turtles went to war with Krang's forces. After about a minutes worth of fighting however, it became clear that the aggressiveness of the Turtles was making short work of their adversaries. As the battle raged on, Krang pondered his next move, only to be interrupted by Shredder. "Krang come in" Shredder's voice echoed from the monitor screen as the battle raged on.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Krang argued.

"Sure you don't want help?" Shredder asked cheekily.

"I can HANDLE it" Krang insisted. "What do you want anyway?"

"Your employer wants to talk to you" Shredder revealed.

Donatello overheard this, and, after thrusting his bo staff into a foot soldier's chest, took to giving this some thought

"Did he say employer?" he asked

This bit of news seemed to lift Krang's spirits

"Ah good…now I KNOW I can handle this. Patch him through, just let me put on my coat and conceal my true form from view" he said, scrambling for a nearby closet, he threw out all sorts of things, rubber ducks, bright red underwear, until finally he found a long brown coat and a set of bandages. He wrapped the bandages around the area containing his brain and put the coat on. Raphael was baffled

"Why the get-up?" he asked

The people I deal with deal in normality." Krang explained, checking himself in a pocket mirror. "Ok, I'm ready, patch him through" he told Shredder.

Before long, the face of his employer graced the screen. The Turtles, Toby and his father reacted in shock.

"Isnt that…" Donatello began.

"THEO CHRIST" Toby exclaimed.

"You're testing my patience Mr. Krang" Theo said in an angered, impatient tone, wisps of smoke pouring out of his cigarette.

"We're almost up to sufficiently habitable levels Mr. Christ" Krang revealed

"I don't pay you to be sufficient Krang. I pay you to be IMMEDIATE" Theo reminded him. "My son is getting married tomorrow and his first order of business is to spend his well earned honeymoon at the Aquari-ranch and it's luxurious cabin abode"

"You know I can't touch that part without a legally binding contract" Krang noted.

It's a good thing McGruder went missing then isn't it?" Theo boasted, producing a small piece of official looking paper, " I think you'll find THIS here gives you all the permission and luck in this land"

The paper seemed to be of great importance to Toby's father

"The deadline! You cretin, you made me miss the deadline" he said.

"Deadline?" Raphael asked

"Remember what I said about Theo and dad disputing over the land? The city council got so tired of it, that they began a series of court clashes where both sides had to argue a case, if one of them failed to even show up for a hearing, the decision over who got the land would go to the person who DID"

"How timely" Raphael remarked.

"Well, now that I know I can expand, I'll get to work on acquiring the "abode" you require Theo" Krang replied. Theo couldn't hide his pleasure at this.

"Now that there sounds immediate" he said, "I'll leave you to things then. Theo out!"

As the screen went dead and Theo's face faded from view, Michelangelo opted to join in on the conversation

"Woah, so what you're doing…it's all, almost, legal?" he said.

"Legal and binding Turtles" Krang revealed

"But…why? What could the great dimension-conquering warlord Krang gain from…land development?" Donatello asked.

"It's not for my benefit" Krang said, "It's for THESE"

He turned to his console and pulled up a visual on the monitor, patching into the surveillance cameras at the bottom of his sinkhole. As the pictures came into view, the Turtles were taken back by the serene images of tiny yellow and black amphibian creatures darting across the seabed. "Woah, scope out the little fishes dude" Michelangelo observed. Donatello was flabbergasted

"FISH? That's it?! " he yelled, "All this, the kidnapping, the cloak and dagger secrecy…all for FISH?!"

"A rare type of fish" Krang revealed "One that is nearing exstinction in the warp pools of Dimension X. Earth provides a sutiable habitat for them. Having an area as vast as the McGruder property was vital to their survival. When faced with endless legal wrangling, I struck a deal with Theo to keep mr. McGruder out of the way long enough for the rights to go to someone who wouldn't put up a fuss and fully endorse the development of the Aquari-Ranch, it means a profit for him, a great draw for the natives and tourists, and more importantly, a new habitat for a dying species. Everybody wins"

"Except the people you've cheated out of their livelihoods" Raphael noted.

"A small price to pay for a noble cause" Krang replied.

Donatello decided to call Krang on his 'good intentions'. "Say" he said, "Those undersea video cameras can give us a closer view of everything in it…if you're only in this for a noble cause Krang, let us scan the area looking for Leonardo, he was thrown from the module by your storms while trying to knock out your weather device, we need to find him"

"Why don't you get amongst the fishes yourselves?" Krang asked, "You are amphibians after all…here, let me send you on your way". He pressed a small button on his console. The Turtles were quick to detect a large flushing sound. All of a sudden, they began to feel the floor beneath them getting slippery.

"The floor…it's turning into some kind of whirlpool" Donatello realized in alarm. Sure enough, the Turtles, Toby, and his father were soon caught up in a swirling vortex that began to toss and turn them violently about, dragging them further and further down into the depths, all as Krang watched, laughing at their misfortune.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

A hatch beneath the fortress opened, sending the Turtles and their human friends into the water beneath. Franticly, they began to swim upwards, where they were greeted once more by the ravenous storms and high velocity winds generated by Krang's interweatheoral nexus.

"Alright, we're up, everyone ok?" Raphael asked of the others.

"Ow! Something bit me" Donatello spoke in reaction a nasty bite.

"What is it?" Michelangelo replied

Donatello reached down to the left side of his leg, and, after some effort, was able to pry what was gnawing at him loose.

"Looks like one of Krang's freaky fish" Donatello revealed

"Won't it go to the heavenly fish bowel being out of water?" Raphael asked

"I don't think so" Donatello revealed replied, and showed Raphael something that had caught his eye about the creatures

"There's these little pockets attached to it's rib-cage" he pointed out, "Notice the water intake in them? These fish must gather up their natural resources and bottles it to thrive in any environment. Quite ingenious"

The two were interrupted by a scream. It was Toby.

"What's cramping your style little dude?" Michelangelo asked.

"I've GOT a cramp" Toby yelled in pain. Michelangelo promptly came to his aid and grabbed him before he could go under, and handed him over to Mr. McGruder, whose face told the story of a broken and embarrassed man.

"We better power out of this murky water and back to sweet old land-standing" Michelangelo proclaimed.

"Wait, we can't go yet" Raphael responded, "What about Leonardo?"

"Leo would want us to take care of our charges no matter what" Donatello replied, a saddened look on his face…wherever he is, he's on his own".

The Turtles all huddled around each other and gave one another loving looks before embracing and staring up at the troubled sky, before beginning the journey back to dry land.

Back inside the fortress, Krang was boasting of his latest triumph to Shredder.

"Well Shredder? Didn't I tell you I could handle any intrusion on our little project?" Krang asked. Shredder was still trying to process how easy it had been for him to deal with the Turtles…far easier than normal.

"I can't believe it" a startled Shredder said "the great Ninja Turtles, done in by the legal system. I should have taken father's advice on being a lawyer. Always did look good in a suit"

"Save your nostalgic fantasies for a shrink. We have an even BIGGER day tomorrow…and I mean that in the most literal way possible" Krang revealed.

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

**THREE HOURS LATER**

Despite making it back to land, the Turtles soon found making their way back home was an even more arduous task. Without a transport module to take them most of the way, they were forced to endure the dry dusty desert roads, all of them were beginning to feel the effects of hydration and exhaustion. By now, the erratic conditions generated by the Interwethoral nexus had ceased. Krang's project was complete.

"Man, after all that paddling, I just feel like peddling" Michelangelo remarked, wishing he had something to ride and rely on other than his legs.

"So exhausted…parched even" Raphael said, desperate for a drink, "This torrent of rain couldn't even fill me up…felt like DIET water, if such a thing exists..and it don't"

"Not long to go now guys, just stick it out a little father" Donatello said, trying to keep up his brothers spirits.

"My pride is the only thing slowing me down fellas" a depressed Mr. McGruder revealed, "What am I going to tell my wife when I see her?"

Toby was quick to try and bring his father to his senses

"You gotta snap out of this funk pa" he said, "We'll get our land back, the Turtles promise, don't you fellas?"

"Oh sure" Raphael promised, "Just as soon as someone slips a diploma on law in my shell, we'll be cleaning out at the courts"

Donatello fixated his gaze on the road ahead, and suddenly picked up something. It appeared to be two men on horseback, and they were steadily approaching.

"Hey, it looks like we've got company" he said to his brothers, "Maybe they can give us a ride the rest of the way".

He began beckoning to them, flapping his arms about to get their attention

The two riders galloped closer to them. Donatello approached them with a merry smile on his face

"Thank goodness, me and my friends are…"

Before he could finish, one of the riders opted to cut him off by taking him by the throat and slowly begin to choke him.

"Well, looks like we got some desperate little desperadoes" one of the riders commented, observing the situation, "You must be really be thirsty, eating all them prickly cacti has made you go all green"

"Let him go" Raphael snapped. The riders refused, and continued to examine their victims

"You look kinda expensive there" one of them observed, "What with all those fancy weapons you're sporting…probably paid a fine fee for 'em. Tell ya what, I'll let your friend go, if you hand over those and all your other possessions to us"

"Don't listen to them" Donatello spoke, straining as best as he could to create a coherent sentence as the grip on his throat tightened.

"You got seconds. Don't spare 'em" one of the riders cautioned.

Raphael sighed, and turned to Michelangelo.

"Drop them Mike"

Michelangelo was hesitant. "You sure dude?"

"Now" Raphael commanded with authority.

Michelangelo recognized the urgency of Raph's intent, and complied. The two discarded their weapons, dropping them to the ground.

The riders, feeling fortunate this day, took a glance at Mr. McGruder.

"Hey old man" one of them shouted, "You look like you're the one with the wallet"

"Leave my pa alone" a protective Toby said, standing in front of his father

"Oh we'll leave 'em be. Something else has caught our eye" the first of the riders hissed, "Hey partner, while I ring THIS literal turtleneck, why don't you put hands around that scrawny brat?"

"You're taking this too far sleaze" Raphael cried angrily.

"Not far ENOUGH" the second of the riders gloated. He disengaged from his horse and took a few steps towards Toby, his hands outstretched.

As he prepared to give Toby a gritty brush with mortality, a harsh, rough voice that belonged to neither him or his partner let out a deafening scream.

The rider turned around, only to be met by a fierce strike from a blunt object. He reeled back, and as he regained his senses, he caught sight of his attacker. Standing before him, disembarking off a beautiful black horse, were two new strangers, the aggressor of the two was a tall man in a grey coat and a hat that would look good on Jessie James.

He was brandishing a hockey puck, a crucifix hung around his neck, and his features were hidden away by a white mask, the eye slits of the mask revealed wild and weary pupils, all too familiar with the stench of war and the thrill of combat

"Read the good book sometime pal, "though shall not kill"" the attacker rasped, "luckily for me,. "though shall not cream" isn't in there, so I can really cream ya"

"Oh no" Raphael said, recognizing the attacker. "It's him"

"Casey Jones. Alright" Michelangelo replied

"Casey who?" Toby asked.

"Someone who's normally up way after your bedtime" Raphael replied.

"Just try it preacher, and you can kiss this turtleneck goodbye" the first of the riders taunted, holding Donatello high above his head.

Casey turned around and glanced back at the black horse. He beckoned the second rider.

"I think I'll leave this to you" he said.

The other stranger strode past Casey, and took off his hat, and stared coldly at the rider, he pulled his hand behind his back and unsheathed a lean Katana blade. Donatello's eyes lit up, and Raphael and Michelangelo both high-fived one another as the all too familiar prescience of Leonardo greeted them

"Let him go. Slowly." Leonardo warned.

The rider was initially unphased, but then saw the blade in hand, he saw the intent in Leonardo's eyes, and something inside him told him not to risk angering this creature this day. He released his grip on Donatello and backed away.

"No problem, just put that shiner away, don't be cutting to any chase now, I was only kidding" he said, he turned to his partner, "C'mon, we're out of here"

His partner was not so keen to depart.

"Not 'till I get to do some bible bashing" he said.

"You sure you want to kick open the gates of paradise?" Casey said.

"Luckily for me, these parts are known to be godless places pal" the rider replied.

Casey threw away his puck and clenched his fists. "Time for my testimony" he said.

The rider charged at him and before long a physical war was being waged. Slowly but surely however, Casey was able to gut it out and proved more than a match for the rider, managing to score critical hits on the gut before gripping him in a headlock

"I think you'll find in this instance, thy kingdom has come dirt bag" Casey remarked as the rider grappled with the pain, and ultimately began to give in to it.

"Ok, ok" he cried, "I yield. I yield"

Casey released his grip on the rider, who staggered off to join his friend, he tried to mount his horse, but Casey was quick to catch him and pull him off. Leonardo took the other rider by surprise and hoisted him off his own horse.

"Hey, let go, we told ya, we don't want trouble" the first rider begged.

"You tried inflicting harm on defenseless creatures and you think you can just wander off without any judgment being passed on you?" Casey revealed.

"What do you want from us man?" the second rider asked, pleading for leniency.

Redemption punks" Casey replied ".These guys look exhausted, worn out. They could do with a ride…yours to be exact. Why don't you play good Samaritan and part with your horses?"

"B-but how are we gonna get back to town?" the second rider asked.

"I guess you'll just have to learn the patience of Jobe…unless of course, you want to be, literally, broke?" Casey threatened, cracking his knuckles.

The riders took one glance at each other and turned back to him, they franticly nodded.

Casey grabbed the two, tossed them aside, and invited the Turtles to jump on the horses.

"Climb aboard green gherkins" he said

"Gherkins? Oh he's really pushing it this time" Raphael remarked

Donatello rushed up to Leonardo and hugged him

"Leo, how'd you survive?"

"Yeah, last we saw you, it looked like you were on your way to the land of Oz" Michelangelo joked.

"I was thrown pretty far back, I completely missed the pool, I would have been a goner if I hadn't…erm "bumped" into Casey while the winds were tossing me around" Leonardo explained.

"He flew straight into me, the back of his shell crushed my face like a blunt rock" Casey remarked , "There's one more reason I'll never take this mask off now"

"He was taking a short cut into town, but got lost and wandered into the zone we were in" Leonardo continued, "We tried to follow you guys when we caught sight of you swimming in that big crater, but the winds were too strong to really rush after you. I didn't want to endanger Casey, so we followed you at a snails pace until the weather finally let up"

"Well it's all well and good isn't it? You're alive and well and we've found Toby's dad, that's some small cause for celebration"

Leonardo looked at Mr. McGruder, his face a mixture of emotion, much of it made up of frustration, anger, self-disappointment, and angst.

"He doesn't look too happy" Leonardo noted

"It's a settlement issue" Donatello replied

"Well if we don't get cracking and figure out what Krang's up to, I don't think anyone's "settlements" will be "settled". C'mon guys, lets get back to the ranch A.S.A.P" Raphael announced, mounting one of the horses, "Turtles ride with honour"

Agreeing with Raph, the remaining Turtles, Toby, McGruder, and Casey all assembled on the three horses and charged across the plains heading back towards the ranch, and home.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Back at Sweetsinker, April O'Neil was continuing her coverage of the preparations for the wedding of Michael Christ, and had taken to the local tavern to interview the townspeople. She was more than prepared for the unpredictable nature of a typical Texan based drinking establishment, brushing off the excited, yet perverse glances and sickly sweet talk of various drunken ramblers inside.

However, she had another small problem to deal with. Earlier she took some time to powder her nose and pretty herself up a bit more for the cameras, Vernon had taken to the tavern to wait for her, and in the process of waiting, had downed quite a few glasses. As April tried to interview the townspeople, Vernon was doing his best to keep not just the camera steady, but himself as well

"April, could you tell your twin sister to get out of shot?" he slurred, nearly tripping over his feet. April couldn't mask her annoyance.

"I don't have a sister Vernon, you're seeing double. I told you not to try those special "wild" cocktails" she said.

"Tails? I don't have a tail" an annoyed Vernon said, completely gassed. He got up close to April to give her a piece of whatever mind he had left, but before he could utter a word, he fainted. April sighed.

Suddenly, her turtle-com went off. She promptly answered it

"April here" she said, and was greeted by the friendly face of Donatello.

"Hi April, you wouldn't mind coming down to the McGruder ranch tonight would you? I may have something for you to cover" he said.

April looked on at Vernon's limp body sprawled on the floor, "Believe me, there's little keeping me here"

**-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-**

**FIVE HOURS LATER**

Once the Turtles and their friends had made it back to the McGruder ranch, they set up a camp fire. A flicker of flames burned brightly over the calm stillness of the evening night. Donatello was inside the house conducting experiments on the warp pool fish that had bit him earlier. Whilst Leonardo and Raphael sat around the burning logs, and in between toasting marshmallows, they took to discussing Krang's latest, and seemingly "legit" scheme.

"All I'm saying is maybe Krang, in his own warped way, was trying to do some good salvaging those fish" Leonardo spoke, "He went about it in a dirty way, but we know how harsh Dimension X can be even to it's most innocent form of creature, maybe these warp pools were being drained by the escalation of industrial work courtesy of Krang's dominion"

"So many assumptions…did that storm put your brain through a blender?" Raphael asked, "It's KRANG, "noble" isn't on his C.V"

"But he helped save all of reality from that other alien Shredder a few months ago, he can't be TOTALLY evil" Leonardo remarked.

Don't bring up that misadventure. I still can't shake away the notion I was hugging for my life….PLEADING I can handle, HUGGING? No…" Raphael replied, disgusted with the way he acted that particular day. Donatello had an explanation for why the brothers had acted like that, but it was too steeped in nerdom for him to really digest.

The two's arguments were enough to rattle Casey, who was trying to sleep

"Will you two pipe down. I've got a big day tomorrow" he said.

"Since when di you ever have a schedule?" Raphael asked, !"And what's so big about tomorrow?"

"Something I can't stomach" Casey hinted, "But I gotta be a man about it. Especially for the big man up above"

"Yeah what's this whole deal with you?" Raphael continued "You're suddenly the son of a preacher man instead of a son of an unnamed goat"

"Got a little sick of being saddled with the scourges of society in the papers" Casey revealed ,"Every headline was "maverick marauder mauls some more", "vicious vigilante goes too far", maybe I earned that press, but it got me thinking "what separates me from the bums I beat?"

"So you looked to the sky and found "the big man"" Leonardo said. Casey nodded.

"I'm not picture perfect with him, but at least now my mission has a message." Casey continued, "While we wait for the big day of judgement, I'm gonna be sendin' as many dirty dealers a taste of what the big man's gonna do to 'em."

"Cool story bro" a now disinterested Raphael remarked, Casey glared at him.

"Oh sorry" Raphael said, sensing the sudden tension and trying to cover his tracks, "I was, erm, just filling in Mikey's spot, that's something he'd TOTALLY say"

He tried to change the subject., "Hey Leo, where's Mike anyway?"

"He's at the stables. He needed to clear his head" Leonardo revealed

"You should take his advice" Raphael said.

Over at the stables, Michelangelo was lost in thought, staring out at the bright moon in the distance. He was soon approached by a graceful visitor.

"Nice night" said April, startling Mikey.

"What are you doing up this late?" he said, "I thought you'd be here earlier"

"I was dabbling in some very last minute reediting, plus Vernon had one major hangover. What's your excuse party dude?"

"No night-owling for me this time dudedette, I came out to think a little" Michelangelo said.

April walked over to the fence and sat on top of it, her legs crossed, she put a hand on Mikes. "Want to talk about it?" she said.

"We got time?" Michelangelo asked. April pondered this.

"True, You've got some cowboys to rustle up and I've got to cover the corralling. We'll get to talking back in New York. You still got that Pizza? Or is that all that needs addressing?" she asked

Michelangelo stared back at the moon, and began twiddling his fingers apprehensively .

"Yeah, about that, I was thinking…maybe you could try going large, the one I've got is…"

He stopped, pretty embarrassed about the situation, "Mine is kind of small" he said.

"You're having problems with the size?" April asked

"Sorry April…they just…" Michelangelo said, April was quick to finish the sentence, for she knew him that well

"They don't fill you quite up?" she replied. Michelangelo nodded.

"They're not supposed to" she explained, "you're meant to be having dinner"

"But isn't dinner all ABOUT the dinner?" Michelangelo argued, "What am I supposed to do if I finish early?"

"Mike, answer me this…what am I?" April said.

"A girl" Michelangelo replied

"Amazing observation" April sarcastically remarked, "I meant what AM I other than A. a girl, and B. a human?"

"A reporter" Michelangelo replied, getting it right. "And what do reporters look for?" April asked

"Stories" Michelangelo replied. "Well done" April said

"BIG stories" he added, turning the conversation back to his little problem. "Ok…THAT was clever" April replied, "Missed the point…but clever. Top marks for that""

"What does your job have to do with small meals?" Michelangelo asked, trying to understand the point as best he could#

"The whole point of dinner" April revealed. "Mike, as soon as you finish the meal, WHAT do you do?"

"Watch TV" he said. "No not what YOU do. I mean in a social context" April replied, "What is it you OUGHT to do?"

"A toss-up between a belching contest and…talking" Michelangelo replied.

"Bingo. Talking." April replied, putting one finger on the rim of Michelangelo's nose and prodding it affectionately "Be it a toast, or a bit of a roast, talking always enriches the dining experience. Being a reporter means my appetite comes from the real meat of conversation, what makes a person tick, what their day has been like, who they've met, what they're feeling . Eating a meal is fine, but the smaller the course is, the faster you finish, and the sooner we move on to the talking."

"So even if I come across a…shortage, you'll just eat it up anyway?" Michelangelo asked.

"I don't care about that Mike" she said, "You and the guys are who I care about, I know you're much more than a "short supply". Life isn't about the big things, it's the tiniest details, and as long as I know you're TRYING to make time, either for me, your brothers, or someone else, then the size on the plate can be of any quantity."

Michelangelo smiled and put his hand on April's shoulder, shaking her gently.

"Thanks April. I totally feel tubular now. All this over a tiny morsel of Pizza, I really ought to revaluate what defines my comfort shell"

"Glad I'm a worthy candidate for it then" April replied in jest.

The heartfelt exchange between the two was soon interrupted as Donatello burst out of the house. "Get the others. Quickly" he said

"What's up Donatello?" April asked.

"Just get the others, I'll explain everything when you do"

April and Michelangelo complied and gathered up Leonardo and Raphael. Before long everyone was gathered around Donatello's makeshift workshop inside the house.

"On closer inspection, that fish that bit me has incredibly durable teeth" he explained

"Donatello, we're not dentists, try impressing us with something a little more…alertive" Raphael said.

"Oh I'm going somewhere with this" Donatello replied, and resumed his examination "…The teeth that sunk into my hand have grown in size and strengthened in structure, in fact, the whole body is constantly amassing weight. And here's the cause. These little capsules attached to the sides containing some of the water content from that large sinkhole Krang was working on"

"Talk about your growing up milk…" Michelangelo added.

"Watch what happens when I puncture it" Donatello revealed, and begin putting pressure on the capsules with his thumbs. He found this task remarkably difficult, though he knew precisely why.

"You have to put some real pressure on it…it gets more difficult as they grow…a little further…THERE" he said, small glands of sweat breaking out.

The creature let out a little yelp, and a startling transformation took place before the Turtles eyes

"Hey, that little nipper's shrinking" Michelangelo observed

"Yep. Just as I figured" Donatello concluded "The water generated on Earth causes an acceleration process in the creatures

"So…if what you said about Krang is true, he's got a whole fleet of fiendish fish ready to literally get up and go" April replied.

:"Which means We've got to crash the unveiling of that Aquari-ranch tomorrow" Leonardo revealed, " Before it's too late"


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Following Donatello's discovery, the Turtles decided it was best to do what Casey was trying to do for the better part of the evening and get some good nights sleep, replenishing their energies for the big day ahead.

As hours went by and morning steadily approached, an alarm clock was quick to activate, awakening young Toby. He got up and walked downstairs towards the kitchen, he heard a kettle boiling. His father was up too, making some early morning coffee

"Pa…you ok?" Toby asked. His father gave a faint smile, but his heavy eyelids told the story. He was still down.

"I'll be fine boy" he said., "Just halfway up the stairs is all"

Toby walked over to him and tugged at his leg, Mr McGruder bent down and gave his son a warm hug.

"It'll be ok pa" Toby assured him.

The two were soon greeted by Raphael, who had just glimpsed something over at the window

"You guys might want to turn off the blues and start getting red in the face" he said, "I think you're being evicted"

Mrs McGruder double-checked Raphael's claim, looking out of the window herself. She could make out a medium sized man with a black moustache and snakeskin boots, a small gold star attached to his chequered shirt glistened in the brightness of morning light.

"Oh my…it's the Sheriff" she said, and turned back to Raphael, "it's best you and the others nip upstairs, I'll stall as much as I can"

There was a knock at the door, Mrs McGruder straightened her looks out in the mirror, wanting to look her best for the company outside, and opened up her home to the visitor.

"What can I do for you Sherriff?" she asked. The Sherriff, a man of quick wit and sharp deduction skills, was not taken in by the naivety on display

"You know why we're here McGruder" he said, "Gather your family and get out before we remove you. You're no legally obligated to live here"

Mrs McGruder's sincerity completely eroded at this announcement. "Now listen here" she began, flapping her finger in the Sheriff's face, "You can't just expect us to pack up and leave whenever you deem fit, my husband is going through a depression, he's not mentally fit"

"Let's not have any trouble" the Sheriff said, swatting McGruder's finger aside and grabbing her by the arm, he pointed towards the door, "out" he said.

Upstairs, the Turtles and Casey were witness to the whole thing, and one of them had about all they could take of what was happening. Casey came storming down the stairs to tip the balance ever so slightly.

"Not have any trouble? What else am I gonna have breakfast?" he angrily proclaimed.

His very prescience gave the Sheriff the immediate sense of the willies.

"Pastor Jones?" The Sherriff said in recognition, "I had…I had no idea you were staying here. We've got orders to move this family out and make the accommodation readily available for Mr Michael Christ and his new bride, as well as the distinguished members of the press Mr. Christ has assembled to cover the launch of the Aquari-ranch"

"And if they REFUSE?" Casey uttered, getting closer and closer to the Sheriff, letting his eyes tear down the previous icy demeanor of the lawman

"We-we don't even need to discuss that", the Sherriff said, trying to hold his ground and stick to his duty in spite of the intimidation factor. "If they come along peaceful like, we can avoid the more unpleasant procedures"

Toby stood in front of his mother, his arms folded, he would now have a go at the petrified authority figure.

"Well we're NOT moving" he said.

Inspired by all the defiance going on, Raphael and the other Turtles descended down the stairs to back their friends up.

"And the only peace you're getting is of OUR minds" Raphael vowed.

"I take it you're the fellas who the McGruders enlisted to help them" The Sheriff said, "Mr. Christ's employer, the chief architect of the Aquari-ranch, warned us about you, he was even kindly enough to provide us with some back-up"

The Turtles head stomping and mild electronic hum. Leonardo rushed to the front door and peered outside. There, standing before them, was a small number of Foot Soldiers.

"I won't ask you again Mrs McGruder, you and your family best get to steppin, or you'll be stepped on"

"You didn't count on stepping on US compadre" Michelangelo interrupted

"Just leave the branding to me" Casey requested.

In a matter of moments, the Turtles and Casey dashed out to meet the Foot Soldiers in battle. Mrs McGurder, sensitive to her son witnessing potential moments of violence, shielded her sons sight by closing his eyes with her hands.

Despite this handicap, Toby could still make out with his hearing the sounds of lazer fire as the soldiers unleashed their weapons, and high pitched combat yells from Casey as he tore through them with his hockey puck, smashing them all over their heads. He heard the sickening slice of metal as swords, sais, and staffs cut through the cyborg enforces, making short work of them.

Finally, after just a minute of intense combat, the Turtles and Casey stood triumphant. Mrs Mcgruder released her grip on Toby's eyes, but what he had lacked in visual he more than made up for in imagination. He couldn't't wait to e-mail Zach and the fan club about this day.

"And that brings an end to this little "ROBEO" Raphael joked, he looked around for any sign of laughter, only to be met with nothing but a tumbleweed.

"Turtles, we can't delay anymore, we must return to Krang's watering hole and put a stop to those fish" Leonardo announced

"Agreed" Casey said, fixating his gaze on the Sheriff, "IF the long arm of the law prefers to KEEP both his arms, I don't think we need worry about anyone stopping us or pulling any tricks on the McGruder home until we get back"

The Sheriff gulped.

"Well, now that you mention it, the next thing on my list of priorities was to safely escort the master of ceremonies to the Aquai-ranch to conduct the wedding" he said nervously.

"Master of ceremonies? He means YOU doesn't he?" Raphael realized, "This is what you were preparing for last night. Why didn't you just tell us?"

"I didn't wanna make a song and dance about it." an embarrassed Casey responded. " Besides I hate singing and dancing"

"Aw, what's the matter Casey, a little love story stirring those butterflies knotted helplessly around your hardened stomach?" Raphael asked, fluttering his eyes in a pseudo-affectionate manner.

Casey chose to ignore the ribbing and turned his attention back to the Sherriff.

"You don't mind if I bring along the best men do you Sheriff?" he said, pointing to the Turtles. The Sheriff willfully nodded in compliance.

"Alright, we've got an invite" Michelangelo jubilantly uttered

"I think I'll stay behind for a bit fellas" Donatello announced, "I need to put together something that'll deal with a lot more of those critters in just as quick a time"

Whistle while you work Don" Raphael replied. Donatello got to thinking about this

"OF COURSE" he yelled, "Thanks Raph, you've given me a great idea"

"Taking a good idea…from me? The world really is getting pessimistic" Raphael remarked.

"In the meantime, let's make everyone glad we crash this wedding" Leonardo announced, and ran to the stables to gather the horses.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Several hours later, at the Aquri-ranch, the press had finally been allowed access to the area. Krang's fortress, hidden from view because of the cloaking device, remained undetected. Amongst the curious bunch was April, who had went ahead of the Turtles a few hours earlier in the morning to cover the story with Vernon.

As Theo Christ took to the specially prepared press podium at the very front of the large crater of water, the reporters went wild, throwing question after question at the bigwig. At first the ecstatic display of energy amused Theo, but as he tried to calm everyone down, he found himself becoming greatly perturbed by it.

"Now folks, one question at a time, come on" he said, trying to keep everything cool, but as the reporters insisted on their rapid-fire inquisition, Theo found himself LOSING his cool.

"SHUT UP" he bellowed. The reporters fell silent.

"Now", Theo said, composing himself and straightening his tie, "Make the first question the most important. I've got a wedding to attend to and a ranch to make good and ready for them"

A strong, but more restrained, wave of commotion came from the strong wave of reporters. Theo decided to take questions from the ones raising their arms up, silently requesting a chance to speak. He granted April the floor.

"Mr. Christ, now that the Aquari-Ranch is open for business, when are we actually going to SEE any aquatic life in it?" she asked

"Good question, I have a ready made answer" Theo replied and pointed to a taller podium next to them that looked over the sinkhole. "If you will be kind enough to follow me up these here steps, I can give you, at a simple command, a first hand view of what is in this crater"

A select few of the reporters, April included, followed Theo up the stairs leading up to the elevated podium. Once they were assembled, Theo activated a communicator device. Krang's features appeared on it.

"Mr. Krang, give them something to look at" Theo instructed.

"Will do Mr Christ" Krang replied, "Enjoy"

Vernon noticed April's apprehension. "What's with you? You've been distant and distracted since we got here. Surely you've been around enough aquatic life forms without being sick of the sight of them, you can handle this"

"At least the ones I hang out with come from this planet, and I hope they get around to handling this" April replied. Vernon, disinterested, went back to covering the activity of the sinkhole.

Inside his fortress, Krang set to work on his control console. Outside, the reporters heard a loud hiss of steam, and witnessed the rapid rise and bursting of bubbles on the surface of the sinkhole.

Observing the activity on the monitor, Krang chuckled.

"Here fishy fishy fishy" he said.

Witnessing all this from the podium, April was quick to take note of the sinkhole's sudden increase in temperature

"Why is it heating up?" she asked Theo

"No need to panic Mss O'Neil" he said, "The life in this pool is quite docile and not prone to visiting the surface. This just a little kick-starter to get them out and about"

"Isn't that a bit cruel?" April asked

"I assure you it's quite safe. They can withstand ANY temperature, so don't think I'll be serving them for lunch. My sources even claim they find their feet when on the surface"

Events were soon interrupted as the Turtles, Casey, and the McGruders all arrived on the scene. They swiftly brought their horses to a halt just short of the podium.

"Stop this now" Leonardo commanded.

"Turtles, you made it" April joyfully commented. Theo was less than thrilled.

"Who invited THEM lizard kings?" he said, suspecting fowl play, he turned to his com-link. "Do you have anything to do with this Krang?" he asked

Krang, however, was not responding. Theo tried contacting him again, but all he got was static for his trouble.

Casey charged up the podium, cut through the body of reporters and grabbed Theo by the collar, lifting him high above the boiling water below.

"You've got to the count of ONE to call time on your fishing trip" Casey threatened.

"Unhand me at once" Theo cried before putting his hands together in a praying position, "I'll cut a deal with you, just please don't drop me"

"You're endangering everyone here Mr. Christ, order a mass evacuation. The fish in that pool are dangerous!"

"You're too late" Theo said, glancing at something emerging from the pool, "Even if I wanted to stop it, the spectacle is making itself known"

The Turtles and everyone gathered stared on in shock at the sight before them. Taking deep intakes of breath, and displaying it's sharp, grimy bladed teeth, a colossal version of the fish they had seen earlier stepped out of the sinkhole and onto dry land. It was soon followed by two more.

"Holy Makrel" Raphael said in alarm

"I'm the preacher here, I get to say that" Casey remarked.

Leonardo tried to make sense of what he was seeing. The creatures seemed to have distinctly different features about them now that their growth had been accelerated, they were now sporting large spiked fins, and were sporting armour like rib-cages.

As more of them began to flock out, the gathering of reporters went into full panic mode, panicking and running down the podium, scattering in all direction, trying to find some kind of cover. Vernon joined them, ditching his camera and not even trying to drag April away from the site. April picked up the camera and tried to capture the creatures on film, but her intrusiveness greatly annoyed one of the amphibians, who took her camera in it's hand and crushed it.

"Oh that's just great" April said in frustration, "My story's got legs but I can't cover them"

"Just be glad you've still attached to your own" came a voice from behind her. April turned around to be met with Michelangelo, who grabbed her by the hand and took her off the podium just as the creatures took it apart in a fit of rage.

Michelangelo and April regrouped with the other Turtles, whilst every other reporter swarmed past them.

"Well, it can't be all that bad" Michelangelo observed, "I've seen wilder crowds at Pizza joints having half price sales on cheese and omelette coatings"

"Battle plan guys." Leonardo proclaimed "What do we have?

Raphael held up a rope he had attached to his buckle, "Will this suffice? I picked it up at the ranch"

"Good, we'll put it to use" Leonardo replied. "We need to hold those creatures down long enough to break the capsules on their bodies"

"Alright, I'll give it a go" Raphael said in agreement, "But I'd rather catch them with a net like the best of fishermen"

Raphael approached one of the rampaging creatures and lassoed the rope, aiming for it's tail. With a mighty swing, he successfully snagged it.

"Hey, I got a bite" Raphael said, beaming with pride before suddenly being hoisted into the air as the creature marched forward, taking him and the rope with it.

"Aw bummer, now that tail is whooping Raph's" Michelangelo said.

"Raph, let go of the rope" Leonardo instructed

"No way, I'm going to give the "one that got away speech"" Raphael complained.

Suddenly, a clutter of hooves could be heard. Leonardo, Michelangelo and everyone else turned to find Donatello had joined them.

"Donny, oh we're glad to see you" Leonardo said

"Hey guys, how are things?" Donatello asked as he disembarked from his horse.

Michelangelo pointed to the rampaging creatures.

"They're like, TOTALLY things dude" an alarmed Michelangelo said, "And they've got Raph tailing them…"

"All he needs to do is let go you know" Leonardo replied

"Pride comes before a fish" Raphael yelled back.

"Looks like I got here just in time with this" Donatello said, producing a small device from behind his shell. Leonardo examined it

"Careful, it's an extremely sensitive piece of cutting-edge equipment" Donatello advised.

"It's a whistle" Leonardo said as he identified the piece.

"Not just ANY whistle. A high frequency sonic displacer that can shatter solid objects from a thousand mile radius" Donatello explained, "It's a perfect tool to take out the glass domes sustaining the creatures water intake without the need to coral them and shatter them practically"

"So what are we waiting for?" Michelangelo said, "Put your lips together and blow". He giggled at that last bit, he really loved that kind of corny movie lingo

Suddenly, a warning blurted out of Raphael as the creature he was attached to came charging towards them.

"Incoming" he screamed. But it was too late, the creature cut through them. The Turtles all tumbled about as they were shoved to the ground, the fish roared yet again and joined more of it's kind as they began making a play for the fleeing crowd. Amongst them was Michael Christ and his fiancé Lorraine.

"Michael, run" Lorraine pleaded as she tripped up on her high heels, slowing her down and leaving her at the mercy of the looming creatures.

"I'm not going anywhere without you" Michael said, helping her up, but in doing so, he too was now in direct sight of the fish, who were eager to feast.

Observing this in horror was Theo.

"Michael! Oh no" he yelled. He suddenly caught sight of McGruder, who was still very distant despite all that was going on, unable to shake his earlier failures to maintain control of his land.

"McGruder, snap out of whatever funk you're in, my boys in trouble" Theo begged. McGruder began to hum to himself. He was completely zoned out, reality didn't mean a whole lot to him right now.

"Alright McGruder, I'll cut a deal with you" Theo offered, "I'm sorry for all the hassle I gave you over your land, you can have it back, just stop those critters from crushing my boy"

McGruder was still hard to reach, that is, until he heard a familiar yell

"Pa help" cried Toby as another of the creatures set their sights on him, lunging towards him, Toby backed away and tried to run, but also tripped up over some loose shoelaces.

For McGruder, reality had finally set in, and he ran to his son's aid, this left Theo again without any sign of help for his own child.

Meanwhile, the Turtles were recovering from their earlier collision with the rampaging fish.

"Donny, are you ok?" Leonardo asked, Donatello nodded, and began searching for something, his face becoming more alert as he combed the immediate area in front of him.

"What's wrong?" said Leonard

"The displacer! I've dropped it!" Donatello said.

"Without it, we're sunk" Raphael said.

"I don't think we're caught hook line and sinker yet bro" Michelangelo said, as he noticed Mr McGruder picking something up en route to where Toby was . Before long, McGruder was beckoning them, holding the displacer in hand.

"Have no worries gizzard-men, I've got my hands on it" he said, "And if what your little purple bandanna brainiac says is true, I'm gonna sure shatter some conventions" he said.

As Toby closed his eyes in preparation for the end, the predatory fish opening up it's jaws, ready for intake, Mr. McGruder blew hard on the whistle. The Turtles and everyone around them covered their ears as the loud sound penetrated the heavens.

"Ugh, it's like a whales grandma just took up singing lessons" Raphael remarked

"Check it out dude" Michelangelo said, pointing at the fish, "This is one sound that's really making them burst out"

Sure enough, the much anticipated sound of breaking glass overwhelmed the area as the displacer shattered the protective pressure domes on the creatures. There were howls of pain and anguish as they gradually began to shrink, their sharply pitched screams even minimising as their bodies changed size and shape, reduced gradually to small squeaks and yelps.

The Turtles ducked out of the way as the creatures dashed madly about in their direction once again, one of them was in such a mad state that it dived back into the sinkhole, only to come straight back up, yelling more in pain and smashing up the surrounding mountains. "When did the water temperature rise?" Donatello asked as he observed the fish's erratic behaviour.

"Just as these things came out and started this whole mess" Raphael explained, "Theo said it was the only way to bring them out into the open, or so he was led to believe. "I've got a feeling those "warp pools" Krang was talking about were like giant ovens for those creatures, or more precisely giant Jacuzzis" Donatello theorized, "It's possible that after a certain period, after the fish have collected enough water intake, the temperature of the pools forces them out and into the wilderness of Dimension X in this colossal form, ready to prey on anything that moves. Fascinating"

"Yeah, well Krang's fascination with them is going to lead to an ugly reality on his end, his fortress is cloaked remember? That thing could strike it at any time" Raphael observed.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before the fish had started cutting into the fortress, opening up a wide hole within it and causing it's interior structure to collapse. As Krang did his best to avoid being crushed by debris, he activated his com-link to Dimension X, requesting an evacuation

"Shredder, open up the portal" he pleaded. Shredder however, was delighting in the disintegration of Krang's schemes.

"Well well Krang, I thought you had everything "tied up", but it appears you're missing some very loose ends" he joked.

"Now is NOT the time to say "I told you so" Krang bellowed."And to think, I was going to use that lovely abandoned McGruder ranch to live out my great dream of being a cow brain"

Shredder shook his head at Krang's ridiculous ambition, and the screen on the communicator went blank. Shredder shook his head and the screen on the communicator went blank. In a matter of moments, the dimensional portal opened, Krang promptly jumped through and was transported back to the safety of the Technodrome. His escape came just in time as the desperate and dying fish came toppling down on the fortress, causing a series of explosions that developed into a bigger bang that took the sinkhole and the base apart.

All around the Turtles, the remaining fish had shrank down to normal size, and had taken their last breaths. McGruder, delighted with himself, ceased blowing on the whistle. "There, that should take care of it" McGruder said, proudly. Toby grabbed his father and held him tightly

"I am so proud of you dad" Toby said, joyful and happy.

Theo, with Michael and Lorraine in tow, suddenly ran up to McGruder, shaking his hand thoroughly. McGruder waved it aside, put Toby up on his shoulders and began walking away. The Turtles followed him. "Thankyou, thank you for saving my boy…for saving everyone." Theo yelled, "I guarantee you'll be rewarded, not just with your land, but a billion dollar bonus and a stake in my new line of whistles, with you as our mascot"

"Now that's what I call putting money where your mouth is" Leonardo joked. Raphael elbowed him. "Note to bro" he said, "Leave the corn to THIS cracker"


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Later that afternoon, at the town hall, the wedding of Michael Christ was finally underway. The familiar and enchanting sounds of wedding day organs blurred out harmonic symphonies befitting the occasion. Assembled were the townspeople, April, the Turtles, and, conducting the ceremonies as promised, Casey.

"And do you take this broad to be your blushing bride?" Casey asked of Michael. There was a brief pause as Michael composed himself, his nerves getting the better of him. His face was bright red. Casey loomed over him

"You'd better not be blushing at ME sweet cheeks" he said.

Finally, Michael was able to spill out a nervous, but simple "I do"

"Then by the power places in me by that priest I threatened a couple of weeks ago, I pronounce you husband and wife." Casey proclaimed, "Now hurry up and kiss her so I can get the heavens out of here" he muttered.

Before long Michael and his blushing bride were locked in a warm embrace, bringing much joy and sentimental well-wishes from the gathered crowd.

"I do love weddings. They're so…inventive and busy" Donatello observed…partially sad he'd probably never have one in his lifetime.

"Perfect end to a busy day" Leonardo said in reflection.

Just as the day couldn't get more perfect, Toby ran up to them, offering them hearty handshakes and high-fives.

"Hey Turtles, thanks for everything. I'll be sure to tell the fan club all about this" Toby said in appreciation.

"Just be sure to credit your father with saving the day. Sons always honour their fathers" Leonardo advised

"You don't have to remind me Leo, that part I've always rememberd" Toby said

"If it's all the same with you bro, the business end of the day will come with whatever they're serving for dinner" Michelangelo commented.

"You're in luck fellas, I've just seen what there serving, come check it out" April said, guiding the Turtles over to the buffet table.

"Boy on boy, real western cuisine" Raphael said, licking his lips "Really looking forward to tuck into…"

Before he could finish, something stopped dead in his tracks. His face gagged when he saw what was laid out on the table.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me" Raphael remarked.

"Tiny portions of Shrimp? Really April?" Leonardo asked in dismay.

"Let's just say it'll get Mikey in the mood for pizza this week" April replied in jest.

"Don't worry babe" Michelangelo replied, "I'm sure it'll grow on me"

The Turtles and their friends all opted for a big hearty chuckle at this.

**THE END**


End file.
